Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has announced plans to introduce stricter migration policies, even if such measures gain support only from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). This message, as reported by POLITICO, marks a shift in approach by the CDU, which has historically steered clear of aligning with the AfD in any capacity.
Germany’s mainstream political parties have long upheld a Brandmauer, or “firewall,” against the AfD, avoiding coalitions at the national level and refusing to rely on their support for passing legislation. However, this longstanding strategy is facing strain as pressure mounts ahead of a February 23 election. The AfD’s popularity has surged, polling at 20 percent — second only to the CDU’s 30 percent.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz defended the potential shift, stating on Friday, as reported by the dpa news agency, that his party would propose legislation consistent with its principles “regardless of who agrees with them.” He emphasized that these proposals would be introduced in parliament regardless of AfD backing.
The topic of migration has become particularly pressing for voters. A recent Deutschlandtrend survey identified it as the top concern ahead of the upcoming election. Public anxiety has been further intensified by a tragic incident in Bavaria this week, where a two-year-old boy was killed in a knife attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan man. This event has galvanized calls for tougher migration and asylum policies.
AfD leaders have seized on this moment to criticize the CDU’s previous refusal to cooperate with them, accusing Merz and his party of siding with left-wing parties. Following the Bavaria attack, AfD leader Alice Weidel sent Merz a letter offering her party’s support for stricter migration measures in the Bundestag.
In response to Weidel’s overtures, the CDU dismissed her outreach as a political maneuver. Thorsten Frei, a senior conservative parliamentarian, asserted that the CDU could overhaul Germany’s migration policies without collaborating with the AfD. “We will ensure that migration policy is fundamentally reoriented and illegal immigration is drastically reduced,” Frei told Reuters. “This does not require the poisoned offers from the AfD.”
Weidel, for her part, celebrated what she perceived as a weakening of the political “firewall” against the AfD. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “The firewall has fallen! That is good news for our country!”
Cracks in the consensus to isolate the AfD have been evident in certain regions of Germany, particularly in the party’s strongholds in the east. One notable incident occurred in 2020, when the CDU and the liberal Free Democrats controversially collaborated with the AfD in Thuringia to unseat the state’s left-wing premier. That move, widely condemned at the time, led to a national backlash and the resignation of the CDU’s then-leader.
As the February election looms, the CDU’s evolving stance on migration and the AfD underscores the challenges faced by Germany’s mainstream parties as they contend with shifts in voter sentiment and an emboldened far-right movement.
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